VARIETIES OF TURF SPECIES

By Erin Chapman, Editorial intern

Over the years, the number of varieties of turfgrass species that are commercially available has, for the most part, nearly doubled. Below are the National Turfgrass Evaluation Program's (NTEP) numbers of various species from different years, esimated using the number of entries in NTEP tests. This is not the total number of cultivars commercially available because NTEP's tests do not comprise all cultivars that are on the market at any one time. Kevin Morris, NTEP executive director, estimates the actual number to be 25 to 30 percent higher.